Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to orthopedic knee braces of the type in which at least one of the femoral arms has a length adjustment mechanism; and wherein adjustment of the length of at least one of the arms produces a medial-lateral angular movement of at least one or the other of the femoral arms.
Description of Related Art
An orthopedic knee braces of the type to which the present invention is directed is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,957 of which the present inventor is a co-inventor. The length adjustment mechanism of this knee brace comprises a slide mechanism on at least one of the femoral arms which is in the form of a slotted guide and a slider which is fixable at selected locations along the length of said slotted guide by a screw that extends through the slot of the slotted guide between opposite sides of the respective femoral arm. Thus, a tool is required to be able to adjust from one to four screws depending on the embodiment of the slider and whether one or both femoral arms is equipped with a length adjustment mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,534,220, entitled “Adjustable Ergonomic Brace”, assigned to OSSUR HF discloses an ergonomic knee brace that includes an upper strut for extending along an upper leg, and a lower strut for extending along a lower leg, each of which has a length adjustment mechanism comprised of telescopic slide mechanism in which a screw-in knob that engages receiving holes in the struts is used to fix the length once set. Thus, a tool is not required to fix or release the length adjustment mechanism. However, if the screw knob is not sufficiently tightened or if it backs off in use, the slide of the length adjustment mechanism can become free to move.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,723, entitled “Orthopedic brace having length-adjustable supports”, assigned to DJ Orthopedics, LLC discloses an orthopedic brace that includes a first length-adjustable support, a second length-adjustable support and a spring-biased button for length adjustment. Each length adjustable support includes a longitudinal channel and a sliding upright within the channel. Each sliding upright includes multiple through-holes and a floor of each channel includes the spring-biased button. The spring-biased button further includes retaining tabs on a lower end. An operator depresses the button and then the retaining tabs on the lower end of the button extend through holes. The button is engageable with each hole such that the button positively locks a position of the upright with respect to the channel. The upright is slidable within the channel when the button is depressed. However, such a mechanism poses the disadvantage that contact of the button with an object, such as the leg of a table, can cause inadvertent release.